


Juno doesn't dance

by Grand_King



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Character Death, Dancing, Healing, Juno Steel Needs a Hug, Not Beta Read, Sad Juno Steel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:54:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24957196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grand_King/pseuds/Grand_King
Summary: Juno doesn't dance, and Peter wants to know why. Of course they both suck at communication so Peter decides to follow the detective during and Planetside trip after Juno has been acting strangely.
Relationships: Peter Nureyev/Juno Steel
Comments: 5
Kudos: 109





	Juno doesn't dance

**Author's Note:**

> This does discuss death and death of a loved one. A touch of s*icidal ideation and also Sarah Steel is mentioned so...

Juno Steel doesn't dance.

It's something that everyone aboard the Cart Blanche has noticed. Weather on missions or during family bonding, Juno Steel runs from music.

"Dance with me, Juno, dear?" Peter will ask, a golden suit glittering under a chandelier. His pockets laden with stolen jewels.

Juno with smile a tight lipped grin, almost a grimace.

"I don't dance, Ransom." He will answer, it is never  _ 'I can't dance'.  _ Juno loves music, he lets music play when he cooks, cleans, spends time in the gym. If you catch him alone you might see his head bobbing or fingers tapping in rapid succession across his thigh but he will never be dancing.

"Mistah Steel! You gotta dance with me, it's my  _ birthday _ !" Rita stands, bright pink hair curled down to her shoulders, her arm, clad in pastel pyjamas, is outstretched to Juno. She is not sober, she would not ask if she was. She knows why he does not dance.

_ "Super Steel, it's my birthday and I demand that you dance with me, come on! I know you know this one!" _

"I don't feel very well, I'm heading in early." And Juno leaves, he returns to his room for the first time in months. When Peter leaves the party later that night and sees his own bed empty he will know something is wrong. Juno will not seek him out, neither will mention it in the morning 

"We're stopping Planetside for a few days while Jet works on some ship repairs. We need to restock as well. I trust none of you will get into too much trouble?" Buddy asks, making eye contact with every member of her crew.

As soon as they touch down, Juno disappears. He isn't truly alone, the crew tracks the comms system. Buddy and Rita will know where he is at all times, and it is more than likely that Peter is following him from a distance.

Juno does not care, this is something he needs to do. And if Nureyev is spying, then so be it. As long as he doesn't make his presence known, Juno can ignore the feeling of being watched.

He stops at a theatre, takes a moment before walking in. His hands clench at his side as he pays for the ticket. If the cashier notices the tears welling in Juno's eye, they don't comment.

He wanders around for a long time, if Peter had been following him, Juno has managed to shake him off. Juno is not a master thief but anybody who grew up in Old Town can disappear when they want to.

When Juno does not arrive at their meeting point that night, Rita is the one who calls him.

"Mistah Steel, are you coming back anytime soon? Mistah Ransom is gettin all worried an Miss Vespa is talkin about you betraying us again and-" She rambles, and Juno revels in the moment of normalcy.

"Rita, do you know what the date is tomorrow?" He asks, cutting off her rant quite effectively.

"Of course I do, Boss! It's-" she pauses. "Oh. Okay, Mistah Steel. I'll see you in a couple days. Be safe out there." She hangs up soon after, and Juno's comms remain blessedly silent for the rest of the evening.

  
  


Sarah Steel was a cruel woman, one would have to be to shoot their own son.

Juno was visiting home for his birthday, the birthday he shared with his twin of course. He had arrived a day early, ready to take Benzaitan out for a night on the town.

He heard the sound of a blaster shot ring from the house and cold dread settled heavy in his stomach.

He broke down the door and ran into his childhood room, Sarah was still shouting as Ben laid bleeding out on the floor.

Juno did everything he could, holding his brother with bloody hands as his mother screamed that it was his fault,  _ that it should have been him. _ He wished she had killed him too, taken the blaster and ended everything. But she didn't, she told Juno that he was rotten, and everything he touched was cursed to die. And then she left.

Ben was dead before the clock struck midnight, and Juno dialled Mick's number with shaking hands.

  
  


Juno doesn't celebrate his birthday anymore. Every year on the anniversary of Ben's death, Juno buys a ticket to the local ballet, Old Town Community Theatre. It's different in space, on a different planet, but he buys a ticket all the same.

This year it's an old Earth classic, Swan Lake. Juno would laugh if he could stop sobbing long enough to breathe. Swan Lake was always one of Ben's favourites. And they both knew every song and every movement almost as well as they knew each other.

" _ One day, Super Steel, I'm gonna play Prince Siegfried. I'm gonna dance with Odette on a real stage." _

Juno would laugh and tell him he was being ridiculous. He wishes more and more everyday that he could have been wrong.

He knows Peter has followed him back to the theatre the next night, and that the thief will be watching him during the show. Juno does his best not to let that bother him.

He makes it no more than five minutes before he feels tears well in his eye. He does his best to blink them away, but everytime his eyes close he sees Ben dancing clumsily at the youth centre, ratty shoes thudding against the threadbare carpet as he tries to copy the dance on the cracked t.v screen.

He breaks down in the bathroom during the intermission. He calls Mick, the shaking of his hands so familiar it makes him feel ill.

"Juno? Thank god. I've been trying to call but your old comms number is out of commission and-" Mick sounds so relieved, it makes Juno sob harder.

"I- I'm sorry I left you, I just… I'm at a theatre and they're showing fucking  _ Swan Lake _ and I miss him. And I miss  _ you. _ " Juno breathes heavily, his words come out weak, he hears Mick fumble.

"It's okay, J. I know. I miss him too. What happened to you? You and Rita have disappeared and when I couldn't get a hold of you I thought- well… I don't want to lose you as well." His voice is different through the phone, and Juno wishes he could be there with him.

"I got a job. Off planet." The ex-detective takes a moment to collect himself. "I'm sorry. This was a mistake I'm gonna go."

"Wait! Hey, J. He would be proud of you, you know that right?" Mick sounds like he really believes it. Juno hopes he does.

"Yeah, Mick. You too."

Juno washes his face in the sink, and returns to his seat for the rest of the show.

When he returns to his shitty hotel room there's a bouquet waiting for him. A note, scrawled in Rita's handwriting.

_ 'take care of yourself, boss.' _

  
  


The next day, Juno finds himself at a gym. They had advertised a dance space on a flyer, and that's exactly what he needs.

The studio is empty, save for one staff member. Juno doesn't have the music, but he doesn't need it anymore. The movements are achingly familiar and the haunting loneliness feels like a crushing weight upon his chest.

From an outside perspective it's clear to see this dance is meant for two people, that the lone figure on the glossy wooden floors is dancing for someone he has lost.

Peter watches from the doorway and he is entranced. Juno Steel does not dance, but he  _ can  _ dance.

His detective moves with technical precision that takes professionals years to perfect. He moves in time with a melody nobody else can hear. And Peter understands. Juno Steel does not dance. Peter Nureyev does not wear white suites.

Everyone loses someone. Some try to grip onto their loved ones as the light fades from their eyes, and some are the one gripping the knife.

The routine ends, and Juno stands with tears streaming down his face, and he is smiling. For the first time in weeks he is smiling.

"Don't just stand there like a creep, Ransom." He chastises his lover, ducking past him and out of the studio.

**Author's Note:**

> Um... I don't know. I just wanted to write something sad but that had an optimistic end? I hope you like it.


End file.
